Leo Brooks

1911-1993

Leo Brooks has become
one of Maine's most easily recognizable artists for his unique
signature style.Though using the same subject matter as many
of his peers, beach scenes, fishermen, landscapes etc., he imbued
them with a lyrical simplicity that has been mistakenly referred
to as "naive". Strictly speaking, a naive artist is
one who has never been schooled or exposed to "fine"
art.

It is true that Brooks did not start painting until he was 60,
but he worked at the New York Times as a typesetter until then.
He read the art and theatre reviews and discussed them with the
critics themselves.

In the 1930's worked as a society photographer, then as a documentary
photographer for the WPA, depicting the suffering of The Great
Depression. Many of those photographs were collected by The Museum
of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Art, and The Shomburg collection.
After retiring from The Times, he studied with Mario Cooper at
The Art Students League and with Edgar Whitney. He was a member
of the Maramoneck Artists' Guild, The Salmagundi Club in Manhattan,
The Hudson River Contemporary Club in Yonkers, and the artists
aggregate known as the "Thirty Artists".